By Chris Williams: Floyd Mayweather Jr. is challenging Vasyl Lomachenko to dare to be great by facing lightweight champion Mikey Garcia. Mayweather says that the great fighters “always move up.” Earlier on Tuesday, Lomachenko challenged Mayweather to stop hiding former IBF super featherweight champion Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis (19-0, 18 KOs), as he wants to fight him.
(Photo credit: Esther Lin/SHOWTIME)
Davis isn’t a champion any longer after he missed weight for his last fight against Francisco Fonseca last August. Lomachenko doesn’t care. He still wants to fight Davis.
Lomachenko has been hesitant to make a move up to the 135 and 140 lb. weight classes for some reason. He obviously knows he can make big money fighting Mikey Garcia and the other top fighters at lightweight and light welterweight, and yet he won’t take the risk.
“If Lomachenko is what they say he is, I think they should make him and Mikey Garcia,” said Mayweather to Fighthype. ”I mean, that’s just my honest opinion. I think Lomachenko and Mikey Garcia should lock up. Great fighters always move up. We call that legendary. A lot of fighters are taking shots at Tank. At the end of the day, Tank is not perfect, but his boxing record is,” said Mayweather.
Lomachenko doesn’t seem to want to move up and face Mikey Garcia. I mean, Lomachenko likes to talk about moving up in weight to fight Mikey, but when it comes to him actually doing it, he won’t budge. The super featherweight division is where Lomachenko feels comfortable, and where appears to be safe and at home. Once Lomachenko moves up to the 135 lb. weight class, he’ll be stepping into the unknown where something bad can happen to him.
As we saw in Mikey’s knockout win over Dejan Zlaticanin earlier this year, it only takes one big punch for him to knock a guy out. Just one mistake by Lomachenko against Mikey, and it’s all over. He’ll be out for the night. Even if Lomachenko doesn’t make a mistake against Mikey, he’s still going to get tagged by one of his big right hands or left hooks.
”Floyd Mayweather, it would have been an honor to fight you in your prime but I’m not talking about you. Please stop hiding your fighter,” said Lomachenko on his Twitter on Tuesday.
Lomachenko wants the fight against the 23-year-old Davis, and you have to wonder why. Is it because Lomachenko sees vulnerability in Davis? I suppose if Lomachenko didn’t see Davis as being vulnerable, he’d be avoiding him just like he’s doing with Mikey. When Mikey’s name is mentioned to Lomachenko, he looks unsure of himself.
